Birdwell School, Tyler TX - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Birdwell School

Birdwell School is a pre-K through grade 8 public school in Tyler, serving a student body that is overwhelmingly Hispanic and economically disadvantaged, with more than a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The school sits in Tyler, a regional hub for East Texas that serves as the county seat of Smith County, anchored by healthcare and higher education employers and known for its historic downtown and rose-growing heritage.

The school's academic profile shows solid performance in elementary grades and a more mixed picture in the middle grades. In math, students in grades 4 and 5 demonstrate very strong proficiency, while grades 3 and 6 show solid but somewhat lower results, and performance holds steady through grades 7 and 8. English language arts results follow a similar pattern: grades 4 and 5 show very high proficiency, with strong results in grades 6, 7, and 8, but grade 3 proficiency is noticeably lower, particularly for students taking the Spanish version of the assessment. Science proficiency declines somewhat in the upper grades tested, and eighth-grade social studies is an area of concern, where proficiency dips below the midpoint. Overall, the school sits in the top quartile of Smith County districts when comparing overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, a meaningful positioning that reflects its elementary strengths.

The enrollment is roughly evenly distributed across pre-K through grade 6, with notably smaller cohorts in grades 7 and 8, a pattern common in schools that feed into separate middle school structures even when they span through eighth grade. The demographic composition is heavily concentrated, with a very large majority of students identifying as Hispanic, a small white enrollment, and minimal representation of other racial and ethnic groups. The economic reality is stark: roughly three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, well above state and national averages. Data on English learner enrollment and special education enrollment were not available in the reporting.

The school's locale within Tyler reflects the city's broader character. Tyler is growing at a steady pace and has been investing in infrastructure and civic life, including a downtown redesign with wider sidewalks and new public green space, though the city remains largely car-oriented. Tyler ISD operates roughly three dozen campuses spread across a wide geographic area rather than clustered in one place, and the district recently completed a multi-year bond-funded program of campus rebuilding and renovation without raising the tax rate. The district is currently implementing a significant turnaround model at Boulter Middle School for the coming school year, extending the school day and starting the year in late July; Birdwell is not part of that intervention.

Housing in the Tyler area is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks and has shifted from rapid post-pandemic price increases toward greater balance, with more inventory and longer selling times. The local economy is anchored by hospital systems, higher education, and manufacturing, alongside the historic rose industry and newer commercial distribution. Median household income in the region is solid, and unemployment remains low.

For families considering Birdwell, the school offers strong elementary instruction particularly in grades 4 and 5, sits above the county median academically, and serves a school community that is predominantly Hispanic and economically disadvantaged. The school's lower third-grade reading results and somewhat softer science and social studies performance in the upper grades are points a parent may want to look into further with the school. The wider context of Tyler is a growing, relatively stable community with active civic investment and reasonable housing costs, though the school itself sits within a district that serves a large geographic footprint and is pursuing significant instructional changes at other campuses.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 379%

School 79% · District 31% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Grade 494%

School 94% · District 46% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 53 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Grade 590%

School 90% · District 12% · ▲ 78 pts above district

▲ 49 pts above state median · ▲ 44 pts above county median

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 38% · ▲ 34 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 34 pts above county median

Grade 780%

School 80% · District 36% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 53 pts above state median · ▲ 47 pts above county median

Grade 882%

School 82% · District 34% · ▲ 48 pts above district

▲ 40 pts above state median · ▲ 38 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 352%

School 52% · District 27% · ▲ 25 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 496%

School 96% · District 52% · ▲ 44 pts above district

▲ 47 pts above state median · ▲ 42 pts above county median

Grade 595%

School 95% · District 42% · ▲ 53 pts above district

▲ 41 pts above state median · ▲ 36 pts above county median

Grade 679%

School 79% · District 52% · ▲ 27 pts above district

▲ 27 pts above state median · ▲ 16 pts above county median

Grade 788%

School 88% · District 51% · ▲ 37 pts above district

▲ 39 pts above state median · ▲ 28 pts above county median

Grade 885%

School 85% · District 55% · ▲ 30 pts above district

▲ 30 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Science

Grade 561%

School 61% · District 29% · ▲ 32 pts above district

▲ 38 pts above state median · ▲ 30 pts above county median

Grade 870%

School 70% · District 41% · ▲ 29 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 30% · ▲ 26 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

This schoolTYLER ISD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income63%Higher-income95%32 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income76%Higher-income86%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income85%Higher-income93%8 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income81%Higher-income91%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income72%Higher-income89%17 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income93%Higher-income96%3 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income90%Higher-income90%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income70%Higher-income79%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income73%Higher-income93%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income70%Higher-income100%30 pp gap